Feasibility analysis of rice-crayfish farming in Hainan province based on its development trend in Hubei province over the past 10 years

Abstract

In the face of the current popular crayfish food culture, as well as the strong development trend of rice-crayfish farming (RCF), how to exploit their unique advantages to develop the RCF model is a direction of agricultural development in Hainan Province that deserves attention. In this paper, we systematically analyze the feasibility of developing RCF in Hainan Province by investigating the changes in RCF development in Hubei Province in recent years, combined with the current state of rice production and RCF trial data in Hainan Province. The results show that: 1) Using abandoned land to develop RCF contributes to the total rice production of Hainan Province. The rice yield of RCF in the late-season is 16.30% higher than that of rice monoculture (RM), but the rice yield of RCF is severely affected by the proportion of culture ditch. 2) Compared to RM, the RCF model can reduce the application of N fertilizer to a certain extent. The nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPFP) in the early- and late-season of RCF are 32.34% and 74.43% higher than those of the RM, respectively. 3) In Hubei, the RCF model has promoted the expansion of rice cultivation area. Therefore, introducing the RCF model in Hainan can help increase the area of the rice cultivation and land utilization while reducing the abandonment of arable land. 4) Drawing on the RCF model in Hubei, Hainan would expect to gain remarkable economic benefits, since anti-seasonal RCF has huge market prospects.